Morning Meme: PETA Slams Lady Gaga Again, “The New Normal” Finds a New Home In Salt Lake, and James Franco Rocks Dreads

Just a note that today is Labor Day in the U.S., so we will have a very limited schedule. Just this Meme, our TV on Tap column, and a Briefs this afternoon. Also, there’s our Ultimate Slash Madness Tourney to check out. The second round of voting is opened over the weekend. We’ll be back full strength tomorrow!

PETAis slammingRihanna and Lady Gaga over their wearing of fur and animal skins. “Wearing reptile skin is creepy and callous, and it makes her look even more out of touch. She and Lady Gaga seem so desperate to be freaks instead of recognized for their talents that you have to wonder if they realize that they are being laughed at.” Oh, PETA, I think you continue to mistake where that laughter is directed.

Possessionled a weak holiday box office with $20 million, followed by Lawless with $12 million. Creating stark bookends were The Avengers, which crossed $1.5 billion, and The Oogieloves in the Big Balloon Adventure from the folks behind the Wiggles, which set a record low of $207/screen.

Beginning in October in the UK, men who have historical convictions for consensual gay sex will be able to apply to have them deleted, offering the chance to apply for jobs or volunteer positions without having it show up on a background check.

Folks living in Salt Lake City will be able to watch The New Normal after all, as the series has been picked up by KUCW, which often picks up shows like Saturday Night Live that the local Mormon-owend NBC station refuses to air.

A documentary called Ann Richard’s Texasis being shopped to networks, showing the Texas firebrand governor in all her glory, including when she was shoved out of office by a political machine bent on elevating George W. Bush to the White House via the governorship. I always loved Ann, and would love to learn more about her life.

Between the Supreme Court having a menu of Defense of Marriage Act cases to choose from to numerous referendums on state ballots, marriage equality will remain a focal point in the presidential election, despite neither candidate wishing to engage on it.

TMZ claimed that Michael Phelps wasn’t content to win all that gold in London, and bellied up to the poker tables in Las Vegas to win $100,000. But sadly, Phelps says it’s not true.

President Obama says that regardless of the bizarre chair incident in Tampa, he’s a big fan ofClint Eastwood, both as an actor and a director. No doubt as a comedian as well now.

You can previewJoe McElderry’s new album Here’s What I Believe, as well as preorder it.

After three years of marriage equality in Vermont, a new study says that it has contributed 700 new jobs and $30.6 million to the economy.

California Latino HIV and LGBT center Bienestarwas evicted from their new offices only 48 hours after opening, after the landlord said that they were bringing disease to the building and he was canceling their lease. They’re currently suing to retrieve their property which the landlord locked in the building, including confidential client files.

A girl that claims she was at the naked party that Prince Harry threw in Las Vegas tells People that Prince Harry was incredibly drunk at the party when she arrived. “Harry was already undressed. It was just crazy. He looked actually delirious. There was a pool table and he was playing air guitar with pool sticks. He was screaming out, ‘Somebody get me a glove! I’m going to do a Michael Jackson impression!’ “

Gay teen Dynasty Youngis suing his Indiana school district for failing to protect him from bullying. You might recall, Dynasty was expelled after he pulled a stun gun that his mother had given him to protect himself on some attackers. The expulsion was later reduced so he could finish school at a nearby charter school.

Benedict Cumberbatch, who seems to get misquoted a lot, says that he’s glad his friend Johnny Lee Miller is doing Elementary, despite what he said about it being a paycheck. “I am both bemused and upset at this misquote. I never said that Johnny took the job for the paycheck nor did I ask him not to do it. What I said is I would have preferred not to be in the situation where we will again be compared because we are friends. I know for a fact his motivations were to do with the quality of the script and the challenges of this exceptional role.”